What If?
by MusicalLife13
Summary: What if Matt didn't come back through the New Dawn anomaly? And what if he'd unknowingly taken Becker with him?
1. A Twist in the Tale

Matt pulled away from the kiss he shared with Emily, and tried his best to not stare too long into her tear-filled eyes. She wasn't trying to stop him, but he knew that this was hurting her as much as it was him.

He looked back to the others and saw Connor, Abby and Becker adjusting the man-made anomaly in the cab of the truck. Taking a deep breath, he gave Emily one last look before striding to the driver's side door. He pulled open the door and got in, starting the engine.

Connor realized what was happening before the others. He paled visibly as Matt gunned the engine, and ran for the door but found it locked. "Matt!" he shouted just as the truck took off towards the mass of light. Abby, who had been leaning on the side of the truck had reeled back from the sudden movement. She stood next to Connor, staring in horror at the sight of Matt driving recklessly into the anomaly.

Emily had closed her eyes and looked away at Connor's cry, not wanting to see what was about to happen. She heard the truck blow past her and into the anomaly before it closed tight. Opening her eyes to stare at where he'd just gone, she let the tears stream down her face.

Connor and Abby ran up to her, and she turned to them both. "It's for the best. He had to," she told herself more than she told them.

Connor stared blankly at the space where the anomaly had just been. "Call Jess," he breathed, panic in his voice. "We need to tell her…"

"She'll know soon enough," Abby said sadly. Emily looked at her quizzically, wondering why Matt's disappearance was affecting her so.

"She should know now," Connor insisted. "She should have been here." Abby nodded, and moved away to pop her cell phone out of her pocket and call their FCO.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked.

Connor looked down at her for the first time since arriving at her side, and said five words that made her heart ache even more than it already did.

"Becker was in the truck."


	2. Unexpected

A/N: Hi all! Long-time reader, first time publisher speaking, hoping you liked the little teaser. This idea popped into my head after I saw the final episode for the first time, and just wouldn't leave me alone... :) I'm still trying to muddle my way around posting on this site, so please bear with me a bit. In the meantime, here's chapter 2 before I head off to work!

Oh yeah - and the italics in this chapter ARE intended.

_Becker hadn't known what Matt was doing when he felt the truck take off underneath him. Instinctively, he'd reached out and grabbed the side of the cab to steady himself, and happened to catch the looks of terror on Abby and Connor's face as the truck hurtled away from them._

_A split second before it happened, Becker suddenly realized what Matt was doing, but it was far too late at that point. The truck had raced into the anomaly as Becker closed his eyes and ducked his head._

_When the truck rolled to a stop, he could hear shouts and the sound of fighting. Opening his eyes, he saw that the truck had stopped in a wooded area that he didn't recognize. The anomaly that had been in the truck next to him was gone, he noticed as he climbed down from the cab._

_The sound of a door opening and Matt's angry voice brought him out of his visual exploration. "What the hell are you doing here?"_

_"Just along for the ride," Becker quipped._

_"You're not supposed to be here."_

_"Funny thing about that, you should really learn to check your blindspot before you take off in someone else's truck with them in the cab," was Becker's response, anger seeping into his voice._

_"This was my mission," Matt stated. "My job to finish."_

_"Hey, it wasn't my choice to come along on this suicide mission," Becker retorted. "You were driving." Suddenly, gunfire close by stopped their conversation cold as they both whipped out their EMD's and looked around cautiously. After a moment, Becker turned to Matt. "What say we finish this argument later, away from the fight?"_

_"Agreed." The pair flanked each other, eyes constantly moving over the immediate area as the sounds of a battle moved closer to them._

_"Where are we anyway?" Becker asked._

_"I think the better question is 'when are we?'" Matt answered. The bushes to the right started to shake, and both men trained their weapons on the area. Wordlessly, they were ready to fight whatever was coming through those bushes._

_The gallimimus leapt over their heads before they knew what was happening. They spun to see it running away from them, then looked at each other in confusion. Gallimimus usually didn't run from prey, so that had to mean…_

_"It's being hunted," Becker hissed._

_"By what?" Matt asked. "There aren't many creatures that they're afraid of, and I don't hear a Rex nearby."_

_They had moved a few metres from where the gallimimus had just been, when three quick figures darted past them. They raised their weapons again, only to lower them when they heard female voices._

_"Don't let it escape!"_

_"Where is it heading to?"_

_"If we follow it, it could lead us to a nest!"_

_The voices all sounded vaguely familiar, but the tones were almost unrecognizable. The tallest and shortest of the women sprinted as fast as they could, while the third, wearing a hoodie underneath her ammunition round, held back and pulled out a walkie talkie to speak into it. "Tracking device still online?"_

_A very calm, familiar male voice filtered through the radio waves. __** "Yep. He's moving pretty quick, but it'll stay on 'im."**_

_"Connor?" Matt whispered, his eyes meeting Becker's._

_"Got it," the woman in front of them replied. "What about that anomaly that we just saw?"_

**_"It's gone. It was there maybe a few seconds, but vanished. There's no sign of it at all."_**

_"Ok. I'll tell the others and we'll head back to base."_

**_"Be careful. I'll keep you on comms if you need anything."_**

_"Thanks." The woman stood, and paused, giving Becker a minute to recognize the spiky blond hair sticking out from the front of the hoodie. She then took off after her fellow fighters, giving Becker and Matt no other choice but to follow her._

_They came to a clearing to find her gone. There was no sign of life other than the foliage. Casting careful looks around, the boys were taken by surprise when Matt's left knee was kicked out from under him. He was slammed into a nearby tree and held there as Becker whirled around, EMD raised, to find a weapon pointed directly at him._

_"One move and you're both dead," the familiar low female growl stated. "Why are you following me?"_

_Matt's face was to the tree so he couldn't see who it was, but Becker now had a full view of a heart-shaped face and cold grey-blue eyes behind the blaster. He lowered his EMD, and stepped backwards. "Abby, it's us."_

_Abby stopped solid at the sound of his voice. Still keeping Matt against the tree, she slowly turned her head just enough to be able to see Becker out of her peripheral vision. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in recognition. She whipped around to see Matt's profile against the tree, and immediately released him in surprise. Matt rolled his shoulders to loosen them as he turned, all the while Abby's eyes were darting back and forth between the two men. "How is this possible?" she asked, her normally steady voice trembling._

_"What do you mean?" Matt asked calmly._

_"You're both dead."_

_"What?" they both replied in unison._

_She nodded. "You both went through that anomaly back at New Dawn and never came back. We all assumed you were dead."_

_The two men were silent as they grasped what she was telling them. "How long ago?" Becker asked._

_Abby took a deep breath, the panic finally leaving her voice. "6 years." Becker's eyes widened almost comically. 6 years?! Before he even had time to digest this, Matt spoke._

_"We just went through that anomaly a few minutes ago, and landed here."_

_"Well now at least I know we weren't crazy for seeing that anomaly that Connor can't find."_

_"Where is he, anyway?" was the question from Becker. "It's not like him to stay out of the field."_

_Abby fixed him with a confused look, forgetting that he was new to this time. "Connor hasn't been back out in the field since New Dawn." When the two men looked at her baffled, she went on. "A lot changed when you two left."_

_"What else?" Matt asked, considerably more worried now than when she'd first discovered them. He wanted to ask specifically about Emily, but didn't think that it was the right time._

_"Come with me," she said, leading them along the treeline. They walked in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. "When we finally got back to the ARC after you drove into the anomaly, it was pure chaos. The anomalies around the world had shut down and Convergence was over, but the damage had been done. Everyone had found out about the ARC and what we did. And every country in the world came to us to help them fix things."_

_"And people wonder why we liked to keep it quiet," Matt muttered._

_"It took about a year, but we managed to send teams to each and every one of the Convergence anomaly sites," Abby continued. "One by one, they helped to clean up the towns and train new people to help out. Essentially, there came to be an ARC in every major city around the globe." Becker refrained from making a sarcastic crack about how they shouldn't feel quite so elite anymore. "Our ARC changed too. Personnel shifted around as some people left. There were a lot that weren't able to deal with what had happened, but there was always someone else willing to step up to the new challenge. We all retrained together, working to rebuild."_

_"Lester must have loved the dedication," Becker commented. Abby stopped short and turned back to them, a flash of pain settling in her eyes._

_"Lester didn't make it." At their shocked looks, she went on. "He died a few hours after we found him and Jess at the ARC. The future predator that got him nicked a few major organs, and the medics didn't get there in time." As they drank in the fact that their boss was no longer with them in this time, Abby turned and pushed through a set of bushes. "Without him and you two, we were, essentially, leaderless."_

_"What happened next?" Matt asked._

_"Someone else stepped up."_

_"Who?"_

_"Someone who already knew everything there was to know about the ARC. It was funny, really, how quickly and how easily it all came together. It was almost like everyone expected the power shift to happen the way it did." Abby smiled sadly at them, as she moved aside a set of branches and let loose a whistle before calling out. "Connor's got a lock on the gallimimus. He should be able to track it, no problem. But we've got a bit of a development here," she shouted._

_The boys looked over her shoulder and saw the other two women that she'd been with standing near a cliff with their backs to them. Both had long, dark plaits trailing down their backs, and one was quietly speaking into another walkie talkie. The silent one turned to Abby for more information, and both Becker and Matt gasped._

_"Emily?" Matt asked. He watched through the trees as the woman he loved stalked towards them. She was dressed in a pair of combat boots, dark green army fatigues and a green tank underneath a leather vest. She held a large EMD in her hand, and a smaller one hung from a holster on her hip. "Emily's in charge now?"_

_"No, she's the head of security. I'm the second in command, and Connor's the FCO," Abby told them._

_Emily stopped short at the sight of the men with Abby, her mouth opening in silent shock. As she locked eyes with Matt, Becker turned to Abby again. "Then who's in charge?"_

_Abby looked at his confused expression, and then turned and pointed to the woman past Emily. "She is."_

_Becker followed the direction of her finger and watched as the woman turned away from the cliff. The long braid swung around her head in a bit of a dark red flash as she moved to hurry back to her companions. The woman walked with a definite sway to the hips, but they gave off the 'stay away if you don't wanna get hurt' vibe, giving her stride a definite purpose. She was dressed in a similar manner to Emily right down to the two weapons, only her garb was black and she wore an oversized leather coat with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. He could see scars and cuts on her toned forearms and the jacket looked familiar, but what caught his attention was what was around her neck._

_A VERY familiar-looking set of dogtags._

_Realization struck as he brought his eyes up to see her face and found himself staring into a pair of blue eyes that he'd never forget, despite the fact that this set was without its usual mischievous sparkle. "Jess?" he asked in disbelief._


	3. Details, Details

_"Abby, what the hell is this?"_

_While his face didn't change, Becker was shocked by the venom he heard in Jess' voice. In all the time he'd known her, she'd never sounded anything less than chipper, even when she was in the worst of spirits._

_"Not my idea, believe me," Abby said, throwing up her hands in surrender. "I found them wandering in the woods."_

_"When are they from?" Even Emily sounded angry, the surprised look on her face replaced with a cool, impassible one._

_"They claim that they just came through the New Dawn anomaly."_

_Emily and Jess shared a look before turning to look back at the group in front of them. "So this is where they ended up," Jess said hotly. She eyed the two men with fire in her eyes, and then spoke into her walkie again. "Connor, we're going to head back. I want that gallimimus tracked for the next two days so we can look for territorial patterns. Let Adamson know that we'll take a retrieval team with us when we come back for it."_

**_"You got it, boss. See you when you get back."_**

_"See you then," she stated before lowering the walkie and striding past the group, back in the direction they'd just come from. "Abby, they can go in your car. Emily and I have a detour to make on the way back."_

_"No problem." Abby stayed with the guys as Emily hurried forward to Jess' side, the pair starting to talk quietly as soon as she did._

_"Ok, I'm sensing a little hostility here," Matt muttered once they were out of earshot, earning him 'duh' looks from both Becker and Abby._

_"Can't really blame them, can you?" Abby asked, starting to follow her comrades. Becker and Matt hurried to catch up, hoping to get a bit more information._

_"How did Jess end up as the new team leader?" Becker wondered aloud, finally voicing the question that had been on his mind since he realized she was there in the field._

_"First of all, she's not just a team leader," Abby began. "She's the head of the entire ARC." When Becker and Matt fixed her with confused looks, she went on. "When we got back from New Dawn – "_

_"Wait, Jess wasn't at New Dawn."_

_Abby glanced at Matt after his comment. "After you drove into the anomaly, and we realized Becker was with you, we called her right away. She came to the site, and went stone silent on us. She ended up sitting on the ground, looking at the anomaly site as if you'd pop right back, for over an hour. She never even said a word." Becker felt the guilt claw at his heart at the mental image of his beloved Jess lost like that. "When we made it back to the ARC, she jumped right into command mode, ordering clean-ups and sending out teams to the other anomaly sites. Nobody questioned it, because it was Jess. And when Lester…" Abby trailed off, still emotional about it all these years later. "When he died, everyone just looked to her to lead. She knew everything about the ARC and the teams, so it was only logical. The Minister actually asked her specifically to take on the role, but after a while, she started splitting her time."_

_"Splitting her time between what?" Becker asked._

_"When we'd first gotten back, she asked me to start training her so she could go out into the field. I knew why, so I never asked her about it. So we started on weapons and weight training, and hand-to-hand combat. She picked it all up surprisingly quickly, and after a bit more training with your soldiers, she was in the field a few months later. Within 6 months, the soldiers asked her to be a team leader. And here we are now."_

_"So she's both in the field and in the office?"_

_Abby nodded at Matt as they reached her SUV. "When Connor made the decision to stay out of the field, we all knew that his guilt was eating away at him. So Jess asked him to be FCO. Again, nobody argued with it, mainly because the only person who handled the ADD better than Connor was Jess."_

_The three of them climbed into the vehicle and drove off, sitting in silence for a few minutes before Becker spoke again. "It was never supposed to be like this."_

_Abby glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "I know, but it is what it is"_

_The rest of the drive was spent in silence, everyone taking in the events of the day thus far. When they arrived at the ARC carpark, they got out of the car, and all headed inside, wordlessly._

_As the lift opened to let them into Ops, they were met by a disbelieving former scientist. Connor's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "They weren't kidding…"_

_"Who?" Abby asked as the trio moved into the room._

_"Jess and Emily," he answered, his eyes flickering back and forth between Matt and Becker. "They told me that you were here, but I didn't believe them." Connor stared at the men for a few seconds, long enough to make the pair feel even more uncomfortable. Then, just as he seemed to snap out of it, a voice could be heard from the end of the hall away from them._

_"Connor? Abby?" Emily called, moving into the edge of the room. Seeing everyone there, she stopped, but composed herself before she faltered. "Debrief time." They nodded, and she glanced, though it was almost not noticed, at Matt before turning back to leave._

_"You better come too," Abby stated. "We'll need statements."_

_"Nice to know that some things haven't changed," Becker stated dryly, earning a grin from Connor. The four of them walked through Ops and down the hall to the debrief room, only getting a few shocked looks at the sudden appearance of the ARC's former team leader and head of security._

_Jess barely acknowledged them as they entered the room, sparing them only the quickest of glances. She had discarded her leather jacket on a nearby chair and stood at the head of the table with her hands in her pockets, Emily seated at her right, so the rest of them quickly found places so they could begin. Connor pulled out his laptop and mobile, poised and ready to go. Becker kept his gaze on Jess the whole time, his eyes travelling over the scars and muscles on her arms, as well as the one long line down her cheek._

_"Well I'm not exactly thrilled about leaving the gallimimus behind, but I know we'll get another shot," Jess began. "Connor, how's the tracking device?"_

_He glanced at the computer screen for a second, then back at her. "Online and still transmitting. This gallimimus is pretty quick, but it should find its way back to a nest of some sort tonight. I'll record its movements tonight and tomorrow night, and then have some more definite locations for you."_

_"Good work."_

_"Also, I've fixed the glitches with the comms. You'll be able to leave the walkies here next time you go out."_

_"Good. These things are so ancient. Emily?"_

_"I've spoken with Captain Adamson, and the retrieval team is ready to go at a moment's notice. I've informed them that it will be at least two days before they're required, but their gear is already packed. He's still trying to stay on your good side after that spinosaurus incident last month," Emily reported, with a hint of humour in her voice._

_"Damn right, he better." Jess' voice had no such lightness to it. She sighed deeply, and then brought her gaze to look at the two newest figures at the table. "And now to the big development of the day." The tone of her voice made both Becker and Matt feel like they were little kids who'd gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "It's quite obvious who you are and when you're from, but the question is why are you here?"_

_"How are we supposed to know?" Matt shot back before Becker could even open his mouth. "We drove through a double anomaly. I didn't think we'd end up anywhere, so being here is a bit of a shock to us too."_

_"We know that it was never their intention to end up in another time," Connor offered, trying to prevent a war from starting in the debrief room. "And we had no way of knowing what time period they'd travel to."_

_"Connor, when you were researching the idea of creating a double anomaly, did you ever come across anything that would indicate being able to travel to a different time?" Jess asked. "We just assumed that it would destroy everything that came into contact with it, which clearly isn't the case here."_

_"Nothing, but I'll look into it over the next few days. We knew that there was potential to pinpoint a specific time for the general man-made anomalies, but never what would happen with a double."_

_"See to it. I want to know why they're here of all places."_

_"They are sitting right here, you know," Becker stated, arms crossed as his anger built bit by bit._

_"Yes, they are, but they are just as clueless as the rest of us," she shot back. "So until we figure out why they're here, they will stay here in the ARC. There may be some tests we need to run through."_

_"Wait, you expect us to just sit here and wait while you decide if you want to make us guinea pigs?" Matt asked, incredulously._

_"You've just come through an anomaly from the past! One wrong move and time goes sideways," Jess stated, the anger becoming evident in her voice. "Besides, it's just like when you introduce a new element into a foreign environment. We have no idea how you'll affect our time."_

_"You make us sound like a disease!" Matt shouted._

_"While I don't agree with the analogy, Jess does have a point," Abby admitted. "When Connor and I were stuck in the Cretaceous, we were afraid to even sneeze for what damage we could do."_

_"We're not mucking around with time, here, but we're not going to sit here and be poked at!"_

_"It's not your call to make!" Jess countered._

_"Enough!" Becker's voice rang out clearly in the room as he stood. "This isn't solving anything!" He trained his eyes on Jess, willing her to see reason. "I know you're trying to protect your time. I don't want anything to go sideways either," he told her, using her own words against her. "But you know us. You know that we're about as likely to sit out a fight as Connor is to miss a Star Wars marathon on TV."_

_"Oi, hey!"_

_"No offense." Connor tried to keep an indignant look on his face, but shrugged at the truth in the statement._

_"We just want to help. You know we can."_

_"And how do you propose to help us?" Jess asked, crossing her arms as she addressed him. Becker was still shocked at the authoritative tone her voice had. "If you think I'm letting you out in the field, you're nuts."_

_"We have training."_

_"So do my men."_

_"We have EMD's."_

_"Ours are better."_

_"We know what we're doing."_

_"Are you insinuating that I don't?" Jess asked in a warning tone, leaning forward to place her palms on the table._

_Becker didn't hesitate in his response, but knew that he had to tread carefully. "Not at all. But I would have thought that having an extra two, trained and knowledgeable fighters would have been a welcome idea."_

_"Well you thought wrong."_

_"What is your problem?"_

_"My problem?!"_

_"Yes, your problem. You barely said two words to us when you saw us, and now you're treating us like we're a pair of useless infants."_

_"If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck…"_

_"Point is that you're being a terrible leader by not even being open to suggestion."_

_"Oh, and you would know, because you were so willing to go along with someone else's ideas back in the day."_

_"At least I gave them a chance to be heard."_

_"Captain?"_

_"What?" Becker and Jess questioned sharply, looking at the door for the person asking. At the sound of his voice over hers, Jess whipped her head around to give Becker a glare, but not before he caught sight of the shock in her eyes. Maybe there was still some of the old Jess in there somewhere. He nodded apologetically to her, and she spun back to the door._

_"Yes, Captain Adamson?"_

_Captain Robert Adamson had been with the ARC since the days of Nick Cutter, and had seen his fair share of strange sights. But nothing could have prepared him for seeing his former commanding officer silenced with a look from his current one – especially considering the relationship the pair had had back in the day. He shook himself from his thoughts, and focused on the task at hand: informing his CO of the latest development so she could assess the situation. "Evans didn't want to disturb you since you were in here, but he told me that the ADD has reported some creature sightings near the London Eye. Nothing's confirmed yet, but I thought it best to send a reconnaissance team to investigate, with your approval of course."_

_Jess nodded at him. "Better send them armed in case it also becomes a retrieval mission." Adamson saluted her, and left the room. It was only then that Jess turned back to Becker, fury still evident in her eyes. "Now, 'Captain' Becker," she began, sarcasm and venom in her voice. "You listen to me, and you listen well, because I'm only going to say this once. There was a time when you were in charge here. That time has come and gone. There is a new order here, and if you wish to remain here, you'd do well to learn it. If you can't, then get the hell out of my ARC, because I don't have time for this shit." She punctuated her sentences with hand gestures (none of them overly rude, mind you), before spinning on her heel and heading for the door. "Meeting adjourned."_

_Becker was swift as lightning as he raced out behind her. She was halfway down the hall by the time he got through the door, so he had to hurry to catch her. She had just turned towards Ops when he got about 20 feet from her. "I miss the old Jess." She stopped, but didn't turn. He knew he had her attention, so he continued. "I miss the Jess who used to scurry around here in those ridiculously high heels, with a smile on her face, a blush on her cheeks and a bar of chocolate in her hand. I miss the Jess who we all trusted to guide us safely through anomalies and incursions, who was always telling us to be careful and to stay warm. I miss the Jess who always looked on the positive side of things, no matter how bad it got, because she's the one who always kept me moving forward." He paused so his words could sink in. "What happened to that Jess?"_

_From where he stood, he couldn't see her close her eyes as memories danced in her mind, nor could he hear the soft sigh that she let out. She opened her eyes, steeled her expression, and finally turned halfway around to look at him. "That Jess is dead." His eyes widened briefly at her simple, matter-of-fact statement. "She died a long time ago." And with that, she turned her back on him and continued along her way._

_Becker stood stock-still at her words. He couldn't believe how callous she was being. His Jess would have never said anything like that…but then again, she wasn't his Jess. She never had been._

_Connor was suddenly next to him, shoving something into his hand. Becker glanced down and saw a set of keys. Looking at Connor, the former scientist glanced around before speaking. "Go get some air. Leave the door to the roof unlocked and I'll meet you up there in a few minutes." Confused, but willing to go along with one of the few who were actually speaking to him, Becker nodded and turned in the direction of the roof access._


	4. With a Little Help from My Friends

A/N: I hadn't originally planned on posting another chapter this soon, but I thought I should since I'm in baseball playoffs all weekend and won't be able to even think about looking at a computer until Sunday night at the earliest. Thank you all for the lovely reviews. :)

_Ten minutes after handing Becker the keys to the roof, Connor was climbing the steps to join him. He opened the door leading outside, and just stopped in awe at the situation. One of his closest friends had just turned up out of nowhere after being MIA for 6 years, and he was now standing on the roof getting ready to explain to him why the love of his life wasn't the same anymore. 'No one would ever believe this…' Connor thought to himself._

_Becker had been quietly looking out over the city, taking in everything. Even the skyline was different to him. He missed the view from the balcony of his house, and wondered if it was even still standing. "So Connor, are you going to stay by the door all day, or come over and tell me why you wanted to meet me up here?"_

_Becker's voice had surprised Connor, and he jumped a bit. Shaking himself, he quickly moved over to stare out at the landscape with his (still?) friend. "I wanted to start by saying that I'm sorry." Becker glanced at him, curious, so he went on. "About everything. About everything with Philip and my part in it."_

_"Connor – "_

_"No, please." Connor knew that cutting him off was a potentially hazardous idea, but he'd never had the chance to say this to Becker. "I was an idiot. I should have listened to Matt and Abby in the first place, instead of putting my faith in Philip. It was careless, and it's something that I've regretted ever since."_

_"Connor, you're right when you say that it wasn't the best idea, but you had no idea that it would go the way it did."_

_"Maybe, but I am still sorry." Becker looked at him full on, and nodded in thanks. "I also wanted to apologize for her." He knew that he didn't have to explain who this 'her' was, especially when he saw Becker's eyes sadden. "I know it's not my place, but I am."_

_"What happened to her? I don't even recognize her anymore."_

_"I know, it was a shock to my system to for a while, but I completely understand it." Becker was facing him again, a look of pure disbelief in his eyes. "Don't you?"_

_"No, I don't," Becker replied. "What the hell could have possibly happened to her to make her change so much?"_

_Now Connor was the one with the stupefied expression on his face. "You're kidding, right?" He was met with silence. "Do you not remember what she's been through?"_

_"Apparently I've been missing for 6 years, so I guess not."_

_"Well considering the fact that you just came from the time when it all happened, you should at least know most of it." Becker motioned for him to continue. "In the span of just a week, everything came crashing down on her, most of it happening within a single day." Connor started counting the events off on his fingers. "First of all, there was the beetle incident." Becker shuddered at the memory of Jess' cold, near-lifeless body in his arms as he ran frantically through the ARC to help her. "Jess told me that she'd never had an attack of that magnitude before, and it scared the hell out of her, especially since she'd always felt so safe at the ARC. I know it scared all of us, but can you imagine how she felt through it all?"_

_"She must have been absolutely terrified…"_

_"Exactly. Not the nicest day of her life, but still not the worse, by far." Connor was afraid that Becker would stupidly ask what could possibly be worse, but thankfully he didn't, so Connor went on to continue with his explanation. "Then, not even a full week later, in less than 24 hours everything she knew was turned on its head. Once again, she was attacked, only this time you weren't there to help her. When Lester got hurt, she had to defend them both against the future predators, without having any training whatsoever." Becker could still see the pure terror in her eyes when he'd found her, clutching Lester's bloodied body close, and an EMD even closer. "And to top it all off, that same day, she lost 3 of the most important people – family members – in her life."_

_Once again, he found himself under Becker's confused look (slightly less so, this time), so he decided to lay it all right out. "In losing Lester, she lost a father figure. It was no secret that, out of the bunch of us, she was his favourite. He helped guide her along here at the ARC, and they had a special kind of relationship, almost like family." Becker nodded. "She also lost Matt, who had become like a big brother to her. He was always watching out for her, talking with her, and really made her feel like part of the team, despite the fact that she was always left behind. With him, she never felt that way." Connor paused, knowing that this was the big one. "And then she lost you. You were…"_

_Becker looked at him, puzzled. "I was what?"_

_Connor took a deep breath. "You were her everything." Without waiting for a reaction, he pushed on. "You knew how she felt about you, and I know how you felt about her. When she found out that you'd gone through that anomaly, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. She went catatonic; into her own little world. She knew it wasn't your fault, but that didn't help it hurt less. She didn't get to say goodbye the way Emily did with Matt, and I don't think she ever really forgave herself for not telling you personally how she felt. Honestly, I was floored that she even found the strength to wake up the next morning. As much as I hate to say it, I really wouldn't have been surprised if she hadn't."_

_Becker had gone completely still at Connor's confession. He knew that Jess had cared for him, but didn't realize that he'd had that much of an effect on her. He was the one who was head-over-heels in love with her._

_"When she did get up the next morning, she started making changes. She got Abby to help train her physically, and she worked on shutting her mind down mentally. She turned into you," Connor said sadly. "After she lost you, she started putting up walls around her mind and her heart, convinced that it was the only way she'd get through it. She was determined to not give up, because she knew that's what you would have wanted. But she decided to do it on her terms. The only reason I know that our old Jess is still in there somewhere, is because I catch her staring at those dogtags every once in a while. Becker looked up at him again. "She gets this faraway look in her eyes for a moment, as if wondering 'what if?'. But then she shakes herself out of it and gets back to work."_

_"I had no idea…" Becker trailed off._

_"Of course you didn't. I mean, how could you? You weren't here to see it." Connor placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "But now, do you get why she is the way she is? She doesn't hate you, but I'm pretty sure she's petrified of letting you in again."_

_"So what do I do?"_

_"I don't know if there's anything you can do, except let her take the lead. Call a truce. She's the one in charge here, so you'll have to accept that. But maybe if you show her that you're willing to, she might ease up on you a bit."_

_"When the hell did you get so smart about women?" Becker asked, bringing grins to both their faces._

_"That wife of mine keeps me honest and in check."_

_"Wife?" Becker asked, the smile on his face getting wider._

_"Bugger, no one's supposed to know about that."_

_"What? Why?"_

_Connor looked around the roof, conspiratorially. "Ok, this doesn't leave here, you got it? If Abby finds out that I've told, I'm dead." Confused, Becker nodded. "When I got pulled through the New Dawn anomaly and Matt and Abby came after me, I ended up in Matt's world – his time. It was awful, and I pretty much gave up. But when Abby got there, she told me that I had to fight with them, to come back, because she wanted to marry me. That was what got me moving. But when we lost you all here, we couldn't just go running around shouting 'we're engaged!' So we eloped and have kept it quiet ever since. We keep our rings…" he reached into the collar of his shirt and produced a long silver chain with a silver band on it. "…here. She's got one too."_

_"How long have you been married for?"_

_"Just hit the 5 year mark last week."_

_"And you never told anyone? Not even Emily or Jess?"_

_"Especially not them. It would have felt really disrespectful."_

_"I'm sure they would have been happy for you."_

_"So am I, but we didn't want to rub it in their faces. Still don't."_

_"Well for what it's worth, congratulations." Becker held out his hand, and Connor shook it happily._

_"Thanks. It's a bit weird, being able to talk about it with someone who's taller than me and doesn't have blond hair."_

_Becker couldn't help but laugh. "Ok, so here's my question, slightly off-topic." Connor motioned for him to go on, so he did just that. "Why have you relegated yourself to the position of FCO?"_

_Connor's face grew serious once more. "Because after everything that happened, I wanted to be the person everyone could count on again. I'd let so many of them down, and I needed to prove that I could do it. So when Jess announced that she was moving into fieldwork, I thought about taking up her post. When she asked me to, I really didn't want to say no."_

_Becker let that sink in for a few seconds before speaking. "You know that we never blamed you for any of this, right? You were manipulated by Philip, who was manipulated by Helen. I can't even fully blame him, which really pisses me off, to be honest." Connor snickered. "It really wasn't your fault Connor."_

_"You know, coming from you, that really does mean a lot." Connor gave him a genuine smile, and was about to speak again, when his mobile rang from his pocket. "Duty calls," he shrugged as he spoke into it. Becker didn't miss the slight panic that was suddenly on Connor's face. "On it." He closed the phone, and looked at Becker. "We've got a problem." Not needing more of an explanation than that, Becker nodded and the pair of them hurried back inside and down to Ops._

_"Connor, where have you been?" Abby shouted as she met them in the hallway, all three of them now running towards the main hub. Luckily, he was saved from answering by his ADD replacement, Nigel. The poor man came running over to him as soon as they entered the room, grabbing his arm and speaking to him in low tones. Connor paled, and ran for the ADD, punching the keyboard before he was even seated. Abby, Nigel and Becker all huddled behind him, staring at the screen as he tried to make sense of what was happening._

_"What's going on?" Emily called out as she and Matt ran in._

_"Not sure yet," Connor replied. "Give me a minute."_

_"There's radio reports coming in already!" Jess shouted, coming out of Lester's old office with three soldiers in tow._

_"Reports of what?" Becker asked. Forgetting about her resentment for a moment, she was about to answer him when Connor beat her to it._

_"Bloody hell," he whispered, staring at the screens in front of him._

_"What is it?" Abby asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder._

_"They're everywhere. Anomalies popping up all over the UK."_

_"How many are we talking about?" Matt asked._

_Connor's eyes flicked over the screens as fast as possible. "Fifty-two…wait, fifty-three and counting."_

_"How are there so many?" Emily asked, breathlessly._

_"I haven't got a bloody clue," Connor replied honestly. "It's like Convergence all over again."_

_"I thought that was only supposed to happen every five thousand years or so," Abby said, turning to Matt for confirmation._

_"So did I," he stated. They all stared at the spots on the screen, taking in what was happening, before Jess spoke again._

_"Deploy everyone we have. Keep medical personnel here, and make sure they're stocked and ready to receive all injuries. Ensure that there's at least one person on each team who has some sort of first aid training to help in the field." The soldiers started moving as soon as she started barking orders._

_"We can't handle this on our own," Connor said. "We'll have to double up the anomalies per team."_

_"Make sure you send them to the most pressing first. Carnivores are priority A." He nodded and kept firing instructions away from the keypad. "Emily?" Jess asked. "Get down to the armoury and start distributing the weapons to everyone. Make sure each soldier takes multiple rounds, but be sure to leave some weapons and ammo here for those staying back." Emily nodded and took off as soon as Jess was done. "Abby, I need you to get down to the menagerie and ensure that it's secure. If you can get more than one creature into each of the habitats without them attacking each other, do it. I have a feeling we'll be bringing back a few new pets when this is done." Abby was gone before Jess even finished speaking._

_It was only then that Becker addressed her. "What can we do?" She looked at him, surprised. "Look, I know there are issues we need to deal with, and if we get time later, I want to. But for right now, I just want to help. All you need to do is tell me how."_

_And just like that, he relinquished all power back to Jess. It took her a second to realize what he was really saying, but she masked her feelings well. Nodding curtly, she spoke again. "You and Matt take a look at the site locations and figure out how we can best spread the teams. Try to give them locations that are relatively close together so there's less movement."_

_"Want us to match up carnivores and herbivores? One each per team so no one gets overloaded?" Matt offered._

_"If you can," Jess replied. "Connor, if you can get that information for them – "_

_"Already working on it!"_

_"Good. I'm going to go give Emily a hand." She met Becker's eyes again, and nodded at him. He could have sworn he saw her façade drop a little and a bit of kindness seep back into her eyes, but was not about to push his luck by pointing it out. All he hoped was that they would get a chance to hash things out once this was all over._

_"I don't know what to make of this," Connor admitted after Jess had gone._

_"What do you mean?" Becker asked before moving with Matt to the map screens at the side of the room._

_"When Convergence hit, it was worldwide. This is confined to the UK. There's nothing anywhere else."_

_"Maybe that's a good thing. Could be easier to contain," Matt said._

_"Or it could make things worse," Connor said._

_"How do you figure?" Becker wondered._

_"Remember what Matt said about what he thought would happen when he drove into the double anomaly? About not thinking you'd end up anywhere at all?" He was met with silence, but knew that they did. "What if these anomalies start piling up on top of each other? We could get all kinds of creatures from different times, moving in and out of different eras at will. Can you imagine the havoc they could wreak on the past? Or the future?"_

_Matt and Becker looked at each other, the impact finally settling on them. Connor spoke once more for them all._

_"We could actually be looking at the start of the end of the human race."_


	5. Broken Inside

A/N: Well, my ball team made it to the semi-finals, but after 5 games this weekend, I need another weekend to recover. :p I'm taking a bunch of students out of town for the next few days, and I'm not sure what my internet situation will be. In the meantime, I hope that this chapter helps to explain the purpose of the italics in the previous ones...

Neither Connor nor Emily had moved from their spot, staring at the place where the anomaly had been. Abby had said very little on the phone to Jess, mainly because she was too stunned to know what to say. She just told Jess that there had been a complication and that she needed to get there fast, knowing that the normally bubbly redhead would put together the pieces to an extent. Once finished, Abby had returned to Connor's side, clasping his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. But even that hadn't woken him from his daze.

What did make him move was the sound of a vehicle pulling up behind them. Abby's back stiffened and Connor gripped her hand tightly. Neither of them were looking forward to the conversation they were about to have.

Jess pulled to a stop near the gate of the facility and killed the engine. She had been extremely fearful when Abby had called and told her to come right away, knowing that Abby was well-aware of what was happening in the ARC and how she was needed there. But Jess hadn't argued; Abby's tone was enough to convince her.

Now, as she sat in her car for a few seconds, an intense feeling of dread pooled in her stomach at the sight of the 3 figures standing near the remains of the building. She forced herself to stay calm, and slowly climbed out of the car to approach them.

Abby turned first, a sad look in her eyes. Jess slowed her step a bit, but took a deep breath and kept going. The back of her mind held a question that she was far too afraid to voice, so she pushed it back down. She knew the others standing with Abby by their backs, or hair, in Emily's case. She took note of Connor's rigid stance, and felt the question grow more persistent.

Jess was about ten feet from where the small group stood when Connor finally turned and met her eyes. And in that instant, she knew.

She knew by the tears falling down his cheeks the reason she had been summoned.

He was gone.

Jess' mouth dropped open, and her expression grew blank. She shook her head slowly, and Connor dropped his gaze to stare at his toes. Abby started to move towards Jess, but the girl started moving on her own again. "No," she whispered, as she moved towards the ruined building. She walked directly past Abby, not even noticing when the blonde reached out to touch her arm. She walked past Connor and Emily, not even sparing them a glance. She just kept slowly walking towards the site where the anomaly had been less than an hour ago.

Jess stopped almost exactly where the giant ball of light had been. She closed her eyes and reached out with all of her senses, as if willing him to come back. She concentrated harder than she ever had on calling out to him in her mind, wishing more than anything that he would hear her pleas.

Abby's heart broke at the sight of her. She had expected Jess to burst into tears, scream at the non-anomaly, and just generally freak out. This silent Jess was even scarier.

Emily was the first one to come out of her trance, carefully moving towards the younger woman. When she was close enough, Emily reached out and gently touched Jess' shoulder.

Jess' eyes snapped open at her touch, and reality hit hard. Tears fell from her eyes at an alarming rate, but the only sound to be heard were her quiet, repeated whispers of "No." Without any warning whatsoever, Jess collapsed to the ground, dissolving into silent tears.

He was really gone. She'd never even been able to work up the courage to tell him how she really felt, and now it was too late. She'd sworn to herself that when Connor's double-anomaly worked and the group came back to the ARC, she'd tell him then. This dance they'd been doing had gone on for far too long. Jess had even worked out exactly how she would say it, and as long as he didn't interrupt her, she would have been fine. Now all that planning was for nothing.

As soon as Jess had hit the dirt, Abby herself broke. Connor whirled at the sound of her crying, and wrapped his arms around her tightly, trying to comfort her as best he could in his saddened state. He'd hit the anger stage, so his tears had ceased, but he knew that he had to be strong for them all. Abby shifted herself enough to be able to fist her fiancé's shirt in her hands as she wept.

Emily, meanwhile, hugged Jess' sobbing form to her as she cried, knowing exactly how she felt. She may not have known Matt as long as Jess had known Becker, but that didn't lessen the pain she felt. Both girls sat on the cold ground, crying quietly for the men they'd loved and now lost.


	6. Brilliant

A/N: So, I didn't have internet access this week, as expected, but I did manage to get the next few chapters edited. The story's been done for a couple of years now, but I thought that fresh eyes might catch old mistakes. Since the last chapter was so short, here's two considerably longer ones to get everyone through the weekend (the next one will be up within the hour). Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! :)

_It was 4 full days before Becker saw Jess again. As fast as they had closed each anomaly, another one had opened somewhere else. The teams were coping as best they could, but this was more than they'd ever had to deal with. Connor hadn't left the ADD since his rooftop chat with Becker, and only left when he really, really needed to use the bathroom._

_After he and Matt had split the ARC's 25 teams as best they could, Becker went back to Jess and requested that they join her in the field. She wanted to protest, to exercise her authority to restrict their movements, but under the circumstances she had no choice. They needed all the manpower they could get, so she relented. A few teams were restructured a bit, and she managed to get them their own team. That way, at least she could get her soldiers to keep an eye on them._

_They went all over the UK over the next few days, pushing creatures back into anomalies wherever possible, and then moving on to the next one. Connor was brilliant with getting them new locations and intel, along with updates on the other teams. The hardest part was when they heard that someone had been lost, because there wasn't any time to even think about it. The medical team back at the ARC were doing surprisingly well given all of the injuries they had to cope with. They'd managed to keep the number of casualties to a minimum, but it was still tough._

_After the first day of fighting, Jess ordered that each team return to the ARC after three anomalies. The last thing she wanted was her soldiers getting too tired to do their job right. Everyone was to return and rest for at least a few hours before heading back out. While many protested, no one outright disobeyed that order. They knew better than the mess with her._

_When Becker returned to the ARC after the fourth day of fighting, he headed back to the canteen where the sleeping cots had been set up. Groups of soldiers were fast asleep or talking in whispers. This was the sanctuary: for the few hours that they stayed here, they were safe and away from everything. He looked around the room, receiving and returning nods from the various soon-to-be-sleeping soldiers he'd been working with lately. Becker was just about to settle himself on a cot near the server, when something caught his eye – or rather someone._

_Jess was sound asleep on a cot against the far wall, a blanket loose around her waist. Her left hand dangled off the edge of the cot, and her right was nestled near her neck. But what really caught Becker off-guard was the serene expression on her face. It was such a change from the harsh looks she'd had lately. It would have been really off-putting if he didn't still have the image of his Jess in his mind. The soft smile on her face as her lashes flickered against her cheeks, the gentle sighs that rose from her lips. It was heart-wrenching for him._

_She shifted in her sleep a bit, and he froze, afraid she'd wake and catch him watching her. But she stayed asleep, the calm expression staying put as her right hand clenching over her chest. Glancing down at her hand, he caught sight of the chain tangled in her fingers and his eyes widened. She was hanging onto his old dogtags for dear life. He smiled gently at the idea that she didn't completely hate him, and reached for her blanket, pulling it up so it covered her up to her shoulders so she would stay warm. He then settled down on a cot a few over from her, and let his eyes linger on her face before he drifted off to sleep._

_Jess woke up about two hours later, stretching out her stiff muscles before she decided to open her eyes. The cot was definitely not the most comfortable place she'd slept, but at least it was better than the ground. With a deep sigh, she finally blinked and looked around, her eyes falling on the figure a few cots away. She let her gaze travel over Becker's sleeping face, and felt a pang in her heart that she hadn't felt for a long time. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she rose from the cot (releasing the tags in the process) and headed back to the hub to prep for her next trip out._

_"Any updates Connor?" she asked as she approached her old friend. He'd left Evans monitoring the ADD, and had stepped over to the side of the room with his laptop._

_"Nothing's really changed in the last few hours, but the teams are coping with the anomalies," he replied in a tired voice._

_"Good," she stated. "What are you working on?" _

_"I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to kill these anomalies. But right now, it's not looking too positive."_

_"You'll figure it out. You managed to kill the New Dawn anomaly. You'll get this one."_

_He turned and looked at her, surprised at her kind words. She'd never been mean with him over the years, but just firm. He felt like he'd stepped back in time: Becker and Matt were back, and so was the sweet Jess. Not missing a beat though, he smiled. "Thanks."_

_"Why don't you go get some rest?" she suggested, his eyes widening at the idea. "Maybe a bit of sleep will give you some fresh perspective…help figure out how we can make the anomalies turn on themselves."_

_"Yeah, maybe you're…" Connor's jaw dropped as the pieces came together in his head._

_Jess looked at him, puzzled. "Connor?"_

_His eyes seemed to come alive as he turned to her. "You. Are. Brilliant!" He grabbed her shoulders and hugged her close. Stunned, Jess left her arms at her sides until Connor pulled away._

_"What's this all about?" she asked._

_"Come with me!" he shouted as he grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall. Along the way, he grabbed Emily to bring her too. Abby and Matt were still out on calls, so they'd be getting an explanation when they returned._

_Connor's shouts had roused Becker from his sleep, and he walked out of the canteen just in time to have his arm grabbed by the mad scientist. He caught Jess' eye to see if she knew what was going on, but she threw an honestly confused look back at him._

_A few minutes later, the quartet was standing in the lab that had once housed Connor's man-made anomaly. While his friends watched curiously, Connor raced about the room, setting up various machines and computers. He asked for very little help, but they were quick to do so when he did. About twenty minutes after arriving, he was ready to explain things to them._

_"I've been going about this the wrong way," he told them. "For the last few days I've been trying to figure out how we can stop the anomalies from converging on one another, but I should have been trying to link them to this one!" Everyone stared at him as if he had two heads, so he went on. "When I made this device for Philip, it was originally intended to harness energy for the hopes of fuel. If I can change the polarity of this anomaly and link it to the others, it could have the potential to literally turn the anomalies on themselves."_

_"How?" Emily asked as Jess digested how her own words had inspired this._

_"If the polarity of an anomaly is reversed, it'll pull things back into it, rather than letting them cross through to this time. It's similar to the locking device in that we can control what the anomaly does, but we can use this to push the creatures back to their own times before they start crossing over into the wrong eras."_

_"So you're going to be able to program this anomaly to send the creatures back to specific times?" Becker asked._

_"If things go as planned, yes." Connor looked almost giddy with the idea. "It'll take me a while to get it sorted and tested though," he admitted. "We got rid of most of my research and calculations after the New Dawn fiasco, so I'll have to build them from scratch again."_

_"Well," Jess began, remnants of her old shyness being hinted at in her voice. "That's not entirely true." Everyone whipped around to look at her. She motioned for them to follow her out of the room, and they did just that until they ended up in an old lab that had been converted into another research/storage room. Jess walked over to a file cabinet on the far wall, and opened a drawer. She carefully pulled out a very old looking external hard drive and a large file folder. Turning to Connor, she met his eyes. "When we started making changes after New Dawn, I brought these down here. You'd spent so much time on them that I thought maybe one day we'd need them. I always just assumed it would be for creating anomalies to send our pets back to when they really belong."_

_Connor's jaw was on the floor in shock again, and both Becker and Emily flicked their gazes between the two geniuses. Suddenly, Connor broke out of his trance and grabbed Jess in another hug, this time lifting her off the ground. Emily grabbed for the items in Jess' hands as the head of operations hugged her friend back, a soft smile gracing her face. Emily wanted to cry at the sight, for it had been far too long since she'd seen Jess smile. Becker was just glad to see one of her walls could still be knocked down._

_"I'm getting to work on this right away," Connor announced once he'd set Jess back on her own two feet. Taking the information from Emily, he started to lead the way out the door._

_"Let me know what you need to make this work, and we'll make it happen," Jess told him. He bounded out of the room, and she, Emily and Becker turned to look at each other. The idea that there may actually be an end in sight was more welcome than the prospect of sleep at that point. "Let's go," Jess said, breaking them from their individual reveries. "There's still creatures to take care of in the meantime." She received smiles from the other two as they hurried to get back to their teams, and she followed as Connor's plan set in._

_As she was walking back towards Ops, an idea crept into her head, unbidden. It was completely out there, but given everything that Connor had just told them, maybe not…_

_Making a split-second decision, Jess retraced her steps back to Connor's lab. She slipped inside the door to see him hunkered down over his old notes, but he looked up when he heard the door close. "What is it?" he asked._

_"I had a thought…"_


	7. Forgiveness

_Nearly a week after Connor had restarted his research, his new device was ready for testing. When it was, he called Jess into his lab and locked the door. They didn't want anyone to know what they were doing until they were sure it would work. Emily and Becker had told Matt and Abby what Connor was hoping to do, but since then all information had stopped. The only person Connor spoke to about this was Jess, and it was beginning to grate on the others' nerves._

_In the meantime, the fighting hadn't stopped. Anomalies were still popping up everywhere, and the ARC was maxed out. They'd brought in reinforcements from other facilities in neighbouring countries, but as fast as they closed one anomaly, another one opened. Everyone knew that something had to be done, and soon, or else they'd run out of people to fight._

_Over the course of the week, Jess' adamant stance about keeping Becker and Matt on a tight leash had weakened. There were too many people falling for the cause, and staying alive was more important than her pride. Two days after Connor's announcement about what he could do, Jess reinstated the former team leader and head of security so that they were official ARC personnel once more, complete with full access to everything they needed. The pair were happy and relieved to be back in full swing, but made sure to stay under the radar and let Jess take the lead whenever she saw fit._

_Despite the unannounced truce, Becker still felt protective of Jess, trying to subtly make sure that she was taking breaks for food and rest. He somehow managed to do it without it seeming like he was trying to help her, but they both knew what he was really doing. Regardless of that though, she let him. On occasion they'd find themselves in the ARC's gym at the same time, and would end up sparring. He was surprised at how agile and swift she'd become. They'd both managed to get the drop on each other at different times during their fights, but today's was one that had stopped him cold._

_They'd been sparring for nearly a half hour when she ducked under a punch and managed to kick his left leg out from under him. He'd fallen into a crouch but managed to block the roundhouse kick she'd followed it with. He'd knocked her leg away a bit harder than he usually would have, and she spun around away from him. He quickly jumped back into a standing position, and when she threw her fist back, he was ready. Becker grabbed her wrist and spun her around so that she was facing him, taking hold of her other wrist as he did. Before she had the chance to react, he slipped his right foot underneath her legs, and brought her down flat on her back on the mat. He dropped down on top of her, still holding her wrists, maneuvering his body so that she couldn't get her legs free._

_She struggled for a few seconds before her mind grasped the position they were in. She stilled her movements at the same time as him, and found herself staring up into a pair of eyes that she really hadn't seen closely for over 6 years. The look on his face forced her to count to ten in her head, because if she didn't, it would be all too easy to raise her face just a few inches to his. Her mind screamed at her to not let him affect her this way, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't as easy being the stone wall when your reason for becoming so was looking at you so intently._

_Becker knew he needed to move, but couldn't force his limbs to cooperate. He saw a momentary flash of fear in her eyes as she'd stopped struggling, and wondered what had put it there. Surely she knew that he wouldn't actually hurt her, so it had to be some other reason._

_As if sent by the gods above to save them from themselves, the anomaly alarm went off at that exact moment. Becker jumped up immediately, and extended his hand to help her up as well. She looked between him and his outstretched fingers for a few seconds before making her decision and taking his hand. Together, they'd hurried towards the ADD._

_"It's the biggest one yet!" Evans shouted as they ran towards him. Becker grabbed for the black boxes, passing one to Jess and Abby who had just joined them. "It's opening up between the two others in Uxbridge. They're too close together for the creatures to stick to their own turf. One team isn't going to be enough for this."_

_"Get Emily and Matt's teams to meet us there," Jess ordered. Turning to Becker, she looked him straight in the eye. "Armoury," was all she said. He nodded, understanding exactly what she meant, and led Abby away. Jess then turned to the door and headed for Connor's lab. She entered, and simply looked at him. He read the message in her eyes, and handed her two devices, both already in leg holsters. He didn't need to tell her anything, because she already knew how they worked. He gently touched her arm, and she looked up at him. They both nodded at the same time, and she was off. He stayed put for a few seconds after she disappeared, and then ran out of the room to go help Evans at the ADD._

_Jess arrived in the armoury and immediately grabbed for her EMDs. She attached the two smaller ones to her belt after fastening Connor's devices to either of her thighs. She looked up in time to see Becker gazing at her new accessories thoughtfully. He glanced up and caught her eyes. "Connor?" he asked._

_She nodded, not wanting to elaborate. "Time to see if his mad plan works," she stated before turning back to grab some extra ammo._

_He nodded back, attaching his own EMD to his hip. After a moment of silence between them, he felt the need to speak. "I don't blame you for hating me," he started. "But I need you to know that I never meant to leave."_

_At his opening, she had stopped, surprised by his admission. She'd always known it to be true, but to hear it was startling. "I don't hate you," she finally replied. "I just hate the situation that we found ourselves in." She kept her gaze away from him, afraid of what she'd do if she found him looking at her. "I've never hated you," she admitted, so softly that he almost missed it._

_And just like that, she had forgiven him. He hadn't expected her to react in that way – hell, he hadn't expected any reaction from her. He turned away from the ammunition cupboard and looked her straight in the face. When she finally looked up at him, he spoke again. "When we get back, I want to talk through all this with you."_

_'When'. He hadn't said 'if they get back', because there was a very good chance they wouldn't. He'd said 'when'. She took a deep breath as her expression softened, and he once again caught a glimpse of the old Jess in her eyes as she nodded. "Ok," she answered._

_"Ok," he replied, gazing at her meaningfully for another few seconds before pushing off the wall and heading for the door. She took a deep breath and followed him, wondering if they actually would get the chance to work this all out._


	8. Accepting Reality

They'd been standing at the anomaly site for over an hour when the girls' tears finally ran out. Jess had been staring ahead wordlessly for nearly twenty minutes when Connor found his voice.

"We need to get back to the ARC."

It was the statement that no one wanted to hear. Leaving would mean accepting that it was over; that they weren't coming back. All Jess wanted to do was keep sitting there and praying for their safe return. But deep in her heart, she and the other girls knew that this was what needed to be done. They couldn't sit there forever. It wouldn't be fair to their lost loved ones if they just gave up. Becker wouldn't want her to give up, but she just couldn't bring herself to move.

Emily seemed to be having the same trouble. The girls had been sitting, hands clasped and heads together, for some time. But neither could find it in them to move. Even Abby was reluctant to leave the safety of Connor's arms. So she walked with him when he went over to the other girls.

He knew that he could reason with Emily, mainly because she'd had the chance to say goodbye in a way. He had a distinct feeling that Matt had told her his plan before putting it into action. Jess was going to be the hard sell. He left Abby's side and crouched down next to his friends.

When she felt a gentle hand settle on her shoulder, Emily looked into Connor's warm brown eyes. She saw the sadness there, and gave him a soft smile. They were all linked in their grief. He nodded slightly, and she nodded in return. Carefully extracting herself from Jess' grip, Emily rose and walked over to Abby. The two shared a brief hug, and then held hands as a show of solidarity. They would all get through this together, leaning on each other for support when needed.

'Now for the hard part,' Connor thought to himself as he inched closer to Jess. She looked a bit like a zombie: lifeless and defeated.

"Jess," he whispered, trying not to jolt her too much.

"I should have told him," she said, so quietly that he barely heard it. A lot of other people would have asked what she was talking about, but Connor just knew.

"He knew," Connor stated, not expecting any reaction. When that's exactly what he got, he elaborated. "He'd talked to me about it." Still no response from the girl next to him. "He'd known for a while, and was just trying to figure out how to tell you that he knew, and that…"

He had trailed off, not knowing how much he should be telling her. But considering the situation they were currently in, he figured that it couldn't hurt for her to know.

Jess turned to him, eyes red-rimmed. "That what?"

Connor sighed resignedly. "That it wasn't one-sided."

Jess let the words sink in, her eyes searching Connor's for any sign of falsehood. When she finally realized that he was being completely honest, her heart broke even more. Damn her fear! She turned forward again, letting her eyes close slowly as she drifted into memories.

"I knew," she told him.

He looked at her, puzzled. "You knew?"

"Not officially, but I had a feeling," she admitted.

"How?"

Jess sighed deeply, and reached for the chain around her neck. She pulled it up so that the tags on the end could be seen by the man next to her.

"Are those…?"

"He gave them to me just before you all left." She seemed to be in a trance as she told him, her mind recalling the brief conversation she'd had with Becker when they came back after the future predator incident. "While you and Matt were loading the man-made anomaly in the back of the truck, he pulled me aside in the hallway and put them on me. When I asked him why, he said 'because I'll be back for them.' The look in his eyes…" she closed her own eyes at the memory. "He was promising me that the world wouldn't end, at least not before he came back. Then he hugged me and was gone."

Connor hadn't thought it was possible to feel worse than he already did, but he was wrong. Jess' confession and Becker's surprising semi-admission sent shockwaves through him, and he was sad and angry all over again. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around Jess, trying to convey how sorry he was for everything.

"I know we have to go," she said from the warmth of his arms. He pulled back and looked at her. "I know that we have an ARC to fix, and Lester to check on, and everything else to deal with regarding Convergence…" She looked up at him, eyes pleading. "But can I just have a few more minutes?"

He nodded without hesitation, and squeezed her shoulder softly before rising up to his feet and walking over to Abby and Emily again. He managed to turn away from Jess completely before he allowed the tears to fall again.

Jess turned back to the anomaly site and let her mind wander. So much had happened in the span of a few hours that she couldn't quite get her head around it. And now, with him gone, she knew that things had changed permanently. Already, she wasn't the same person she'd been yesterday. But she knew that she would go back to her job, and continue to 'fight the good fight' as Lester had once said. She'd just fight it in a different way.

She breathed deeply and shut her eyes, reaching out with all of her senses once more. She knew that she had to leave, but just couldn't. She wanted so desperately to feel something from him, even though her true, analytical mind knew that it was impossible. The lovestruck girl inside of her just wanted one more chance to be wrapped in his strong arms. Continuing to breathe quietly as she stood up, she made a silent vow, both to him and to herself. She'd never forget him, and she'd let him be her inspiration. Those dogtags would never leave her person, and they'd serve as a reminder to keep fighting for what he – they – believed in.

Without warning, Jess felt a rush of warm air shoot past her, blowing her hair off her shoulders. She heard the others shouting to her, but didn't want to move from the calming wind. It wasn't until she felt a small, feminine hand (Emily?) grabbing her shoulder and trying to pull her back that she opened her eyes.

What she saw in front of her made her heart stop.


	9. Until the End

_"Abby, get down!"_

_Jess' shout made the blonde react instinctively. She dropped to the ground as quick as she could, just in time for a stegosaurus tail to sail right past where her head had just been. She rolled onto her back and shot her EMD at the underside of its stomach before jumping back up and running back into the melee._

_It was chaos when Becker, Jess and Abby had arrived at the latest anomaly site. Because of the three anomalies being so close together, there were creatures running everywhere, and no one really knew what to do with them all. There were crews at each anomaly, keeping new creatures from coming through, and there were teams that were chasing after the ones that already had, trying to get them back into their own times._

_Because of the pandemonium, Jess hadn't even had the chance to see if Connor's modified device had worked. Their SUV had been attacked by a stampede of stegosaurus as soon as they arrived, and they'd barely had time to flee it before they could be trampled._

_They'd split up and each headed for an anomaly, Connor firing information at them in their ears. Jess ran for the first anomaly she saw. It was one of the smaller ones, but would be good for a test of Connor's first device._

_Emily was there, and part of the team fighting to keep the creatures in their own time. Jess took a few minutes next to a sheltering tree to set up the device, and then ran out to stand directly in front of it before flipping the switch. A few seconds later, the yellow glow from the anomaly turned blue, and she knew it was working. She saw a couple raptors get sucked into it, and within a minute, it was its usual glowing yellow. Emily then turned on the locking device, and the anomaly closed as a few cheers rang out._

_"Connor, it worked!" Jess shouted triumphantly. "One anomaly down."_

**_"Fantastic! Be careful, Jess!"_**

_"Always," she replied, before shooting at the creature that ran past her. "I'm going after the other small one. It'll be easier to get the steg's back through theirs if we're not worried about any other creatures." She gathered up Connor's device, and headed for the far anomaly where she could see Abby shooting at several small dinosaurs. It would have been easier to head for the big one where Matt and Becker were first, but the idea of a stegosaurus or 3 flying over their heads was a bit of a safety issue for them. But as she moved towards Abby, she saw four more dinosaurs coming from the large anomaly closest to her. Realizing that it was more of a safety hazard to leave it open longer, she set herself up and turned the device on once more. She kept low to the ground as she saw the anomaly turn blue and pull the first stegosaurus back in towards it. As they flew by one by one, Jess started to smile again, especially once Matt arrived at her side. They shared a relieved look as they started to realize that they were winning, but were suddenly pulled back to reality by two loud voices shouting._

_"JESS!" Becker bellowed as Emily screamed Matt's name at the same time._

_The two in question turned around to see a steg flying directly at them. They tried to dive out of the way, but Matt was struck by one of the large plates on the creature's back. The top of it slammed into his torso, dragging him a few feet towards the anomaly before he slipped down it and rolled onto the ground. Jess was caught by its tail, and thrown with it high into the air as she screamed in pain. As she fell to the ground, she bounced from a tree branch and landed hard on her side underneath it with a disturbing thud just as the creature was sucked into the anomaly, and the blue light turned back into the gold._

_Neither moved as one of the soldiers closed the anomaly with the locking device. Once it was closed, Emily and Becker raced towards their friends' limp forms. Matt was groaning in pain, clutching at his chest._

_Jess lay eerily still on the ground. When Becker reached her side, he grabbed at her arm and waist to gently try and shake her awake. He didn't want to move her too much depending on her injuries, but had to see if she was alive. "Jess, come on!" he called to her._

_She let out a soft whimper as she turned herself onto her back. Becker's hand on her waist slid to rest on her stomach, and he looked down when he felt something wet on his palm._

_Jess was bleeding heavily from a wound in her stomach. His face paled as he realized that one of the steg's spikes must have stabbed her when she was hit._

_"Is she ok?" Emily shouted to him, as she tried to help Matt sit up._

_Becker started to answer, but was interrupted by Jess' surprisingly steady voice. "I'm fine, Em. I need you to get Connor's device to Abby so she can close the last anomaly though. He'll walk her through how it works."_

_Emily looked torn, but did as commanded when Becker said that he'd stay with them both. She nodded, and ran for the device. Becker turned his attention back to Jess, who had started to cough. "Why did you lie to her?" he demanded as he put pressure on her wound._

_"Because no matter what happens, they have to finish this. They can't give up," she answered, a tremor in her voice. She looked over to see Matt still on the ground. "You need to get him out of the way, Becker." Becker looked her dead in the eye as if to say 'no way', but she pushed. "I'll keep the pressure on this until you get back, I promise." Seeing the truth in her eyes, he let her place her own hand on her stomach as he ran for his other friend. Carefully but quickly pulling Matt up and grabbing the lost EMD, he hurried them over to the tree where Jess lay. True to her word, she was still holding her stomach tightly. Becker leaned Matt against the tree trunk and handed him his weapon as he turned back to Jess._

_"Matt, are you ok to shoot if you need to?" Becker demanded._

_"I can shoot, but running is definitely out of the question," was the pained reply._

_"No need to run, just don't let anything get the jump on me," Becker said, replacing Jess' hand on her stomach with his own._

_"Connor," Jess said into the comms as Becker tried to examine her injury while still staunching the blood flow. "You'll need to help Abby use the device on the third anomaly."_

**_"Jess, I tried, but she says it's not working anymore. What's happened?"_**_ he asked, worry evident in his voice._

_"I'm giving the other device to Becker and Matt." Becker's head snapped up at his name. "If it works, they can stop this all from happening."_

_"If what works?" Matt asked from his spot on the tree._

_Jess raised her gaze to flicker between the two men as she reached for the device still strapped to her thigh. "Connor's modified his man-made anomaly device so that you can select what time period to set. It should be able to get you home."_

_"Home?" Becker asked._

**_"To right after you went through the New Dawn anomaly."_**_ Connor answered for her. Becker and Matt looked at each other, not wanting to believe it, and not knowing how they could leave their friends like this._

_As if reading their thoughts, Jess spoke again. "This is a time based on the fact that you never came back. If you go back, it'll change everything. None of us will be here like this." They could hear her voice getting weaker each time she opened her mouth._

_"Yeah, you could end up stuck in my own time," Matt stated._

_"We could, but if you take this with you, things may change." Jess coughed again, bringing up a few drops of blood this time. Becker looked at her in alarm, but she didn't stop. "We didn't have this technology then. Maybe you can modify it like we did so that your time never happens."_

_"And what about you?" Becker asked, anger and fear seeping into his voice._

_Jess turned her gaze back to him as Matt shot at the dinosaur creeping towards his friends. She gave him a sarcastic grin. "I think that no matter what happens, my time here is pretty much up," she confessed._

_"No!" Becker shouted at her. "You're not dying on me, Jess."_

**_"Dying?"_**_ Emily asked in their ears, panic in her voice._

**_"What the bloody hell is going on?"_**_ Abby demanded over the comms._

**_"Becker, what's wrong with Jess?"_**_ Connor asked._

_"She took a spike to the stomach," he told them, sadness evident in his voice. He couldn't say what more was wrong, but the others all put the pieces together._

_"If you make it back to your time, you can stop this from ever happening," she told him._

_"I won't leave you again," he told her._

_"No, it looks like I'm the one doing the leaving this time." _

_"Dammit, Jess, this isn't funny!"_

_"Do you see me laughing?" she asked as she coughed again, more blood coming up. Her eyes darted around to look at her surroundings. She finally managed to free the device from its case on her hip, and reached up to press it into Becker's hand. "You have to go."_

_"I told you, I'm not leaving you. I didn't have a choice last time, but this time I do. And I'm choosing to stay."_

_"I really didn't hate you," Jess said out of the blue. "I know that you didn't choose to go, and I never blamed you or Matt. I just couldn't get past my own guilt over it."_

_"Over what?" he asked, confused._

_She gave him as fixed a gaze as she could under the circumstances. She knew that everyone could hear her over the comms, but she was well beyond caring. "It's you, Becker," she stated simply. "It's always been you, and it always will be. I've never stopped feeling guilty for not telling you that when I had the chance."_

_"Jess," he began._

_"No, listen, please." She wrapped both her hands around the one that he was using to hold the device she'd just given him. "There's been no one but you since we met. At first I thought it was just a crush, but it just kept growing and growing. No matter what happens, you need to know that. It doesn't even matter how you feel, or felt. I just needed you to know."_

_Becker could feel the tears in his eyes as he realized that she was saying goodbye. He barely heard Matt shooting another creature over his head and Abby, Connor and Emily shouting through the comms as he stared into her darkening eyes. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but he knew that glaze that was coming over her eyes, and knew in his heart that there wasn't enough time. So he did the only thing he could think of to convey as much of it to her as possible._

_He leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers in a firm yet gentle kiss._

_Jess sighed as he pulled away from her a moment later. She gazed at him through half-closed eyes. "I…always wondered…what that would be like," she whispered to him. He choked on his words, and resorted to simply pulling her into his arms to hold her close. "You have to go," she said again._

_He pulled back and looked her dead in the eye. "I WON'T leave you."_

_She took a shuddering breath. "If you get back…to your own time…you won't have to. You'll save…us all."_

_"I thought we always said that we wouldn't try and change the past," he reminded her._

_Jess laughed softly before it broke into a cough. "Matt made the exception…before, so I think…we're within our right…to do it…just this one…more time." She weakly raised a hand and ran it along his cheek. "Just promise…"_

_"Jess?" Becker asked, worrying as her words slurred together more now._

_"Promise that…you'll tell her…tell me…how you feel." Jess looked up at him from her spot in his arms. "I think…deep down…I always knew…but it'd be…nice to…hear it from you."_

_"I will," he promised. "I swear to you, I will. You'll know."_

_"Good," she replied in a whisper._

**_"We got the last one closed, but there's another one opening!"_**_ Abby called through the comms, but Becker didn't pay her any heed. He just tried to keep his eyes on Jess', thinking the ridiculous notion that he'd be able to keep her alive by not breaking eye contact. But before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning down and pressing his mouth to hers again. She let out a soft sigh as she kissed him back, and he held her tightly as he ran his lips over hers. But after a few seconds, he realized something._

_She wasn't kissing him back anymore._

_Becker pulled back from her to see that Jess' eyes had closed, and her already pale skin had gone stark white. When he loosened his grip, her head lolled back against his arm, and he knew she was gone. He let out a soft cry of despair, and pulled her back to him, burying his face in her neck as he held her limp figure._

_Matt had shot three more dinosaurs that had come through the latest anomaly before Becker finally began to lay Jess carefully on the ground. When she was flat on her back under the tree, he pressed one more soft kiss to her lips before jumping to his feet with her device tight in his hand. "Matt, we gotta go!" he shouted, wiping the tears from his eyes and putting his EMD strap over his shoulder._

_Matt tried to get up, but had to wait for Becker to carefully help haul him to his feet. He let out a sharp yell of pain as he stood straight. "I'm sorry," he told Becker as they moved away from the tree._

_"I'm going to get her back," Becker vowed before speaking directly into the comms. "Connor, how do I get this thing to work?"_

**_"The dials on the top will let you pick the date and time. Just twist them until it matches what you want."_**

_Becker could hear the sadness in his friend's voice, and swore to himself that he would fix this mess. Holding Matt to his right side as they moved, he awkwardly used his left hand to twist the knobs on the device as he held it. Once they were a bit further into the clearing, he aimed the device at the empty air and flipped the switch._

_The anomaly sprung to life, emitting a soft yellow-green glow._

**_"Good luck, old friend,"_**_ Connor said._

**_"Be careful,"_**_ Emily cried over the sound of an EMD blast._

**_"And stay warm,"_**_ Abby finished, using Jess' goodbye from so many years ago._

_"We will," Becker promised before removing his comm and dropping it on the ground. Sparing one last glance at the still figure under the tree, he gripped Matt tighter and ran through the anomaly._


	10. One Jump Ahead

A/N: I wasn't planning on posting this so soon, but after the way I ended the last chapter, I thought it was only fair. Only 2 more chapters to go after this, and then maybe on to another story hidden in the vault...?

**Becker and Matt stumbled out of the anomaly as it quickly shut down behind them. "I guess Connor designed it so that it didn't give anyone else a chance to get through," Becker commented to himself as he straightened up, drawing Matt with him. They saw a red light flash twice before their eyes before it went dark.**

**"Where are we?" Matt asked as his eyes grew accustomed to the sudden darkness around them.**

**Becker squinted his eyes to see if he could make them adjust faster. "I think we're in the ARC," he replied hoarsely as he looked to his right and saw Lester's office, along with the lift doors in front of them. "We're in Ops."**

**"So where's everybody else?" Matt asked. Becker went to reply, but was stopped by a familiar sound.**

**The sound of an EMD charging up as it was aimed. He froze as a confident voice spoke from a fair distance behind him.**

**"Don't move." Becker's heart clenched at the sound, but fought the urge to whip around to see the speaker.**

**"Bloody hell, how did we end up with an EMD trained on our backs again?" Matt muttered quietly.**

**"We're a bit off our game, it seems," Becker replied softly with a chuckle.**

**"Turn around, slowly," the voice commanded. The men carefully spun around to face their assailant, both already knowing who they would see there.**

**Jess stood next to the ADD, a large EMD clutched tightly in her hands. Her right hand was poised over the trigger, but her eyes widened as she recognized them. Becker drank in the sight of her, living, breathing. His eyes travelled her figure, taking in the high red heels, the bare legs, the short yellow dress, his dogtags around her neck and the long red hair. But as he gazed at her happily, he saw something that caused him alarm.**

**A diamond ring and matching silver band rested on the ring finger of her left hand which was currently supporting the EMD. It was only visible for a second before she lowered her weapon, but he instantly knew that they weren't at all familiar.**

**"Oh, you two! What on earth are you doing, scaring me like that?" She put the EMD down on her chair, and moved towards them. "I thought you were down in the armoury. Did you see the anomaly that was just here? I've never seen one that close before!" She had reached the stairs by the time she stopped speaking, but suddenly she looked at them closely. "What happened to you? You're a fright! You look like…"**

**Becker said absolutely nothing, simply shocked to both see her alive and to see the ring set she wore. He watched her face as her eyes examined them both up and down. A few seconds later, as her eyes landed on the hand holding the anomaly device, her eyes widened again as she raised her them to meet his. "You're not supposed to be here!" she cried.**

**"Jess?" Matt asked, confused.**

**"You need to go, now!" She ran the last few steps to meet them, reaching for the device. "What's gone wrong?" she asked herself as she looked at it closely. "Of course!" she commented, playing with the knobs on top. "You've set it to the wrong year. You've just gone a bit too far ahead." She handed it back to Becker, raising her eyes to meet his with a gentle smile. "There."**

**"Jess," he whispered, his mind clouding as he gazed at her.**

**"Jess!" a pair of voices shouted from down the hall. She whipped her head around towards the sound before quickly turning back. "You have to leave," she told them, pushing them towards the lift.**

**"Jess, what's going on?" Matt asked, wincing as Becker pulled him with him.**

**"You'll find out soon enough, but now is not the time." She reached out and squeezed Matt's hand as she reached up and laid her palm on Becker's cheek. Not caring about the rings anymore, he leaned into her hand and kissed it. "Now go."**

**Wordlessly, Becker hit the switch on the device, creating the anomaly again. The alarm lights in the ARC went off as he let his gaze linger on her for another few seconds before running through the light with Matt. A split second later, the anomaly was gone, and the alarm lights went off.**

**Jess breathed a sigh of relief as she stared at where they had just been. She heard voices and pounding footsteps behind her, but didn't move until a gentle hand took her arm. She turned around and found herself looking into a warm yet concerned pair of hazel eyes. "Are you ok?" Becker asked as he shouldered his EMD and raised his other hand to her cheek. She nodded, giving him a smile.**

**"Did anything come out of the anomaly?" Connor asked as he lowered his EMD. Her eyes flickered to him briefly, before turning back to Becker and staring into his eyes knowingly. His eyes widened a bit in realization. He glanced down at what she was wearing, and everything clicked in his head. She nodded in response to his unasked question.**

**"That's right," he whispered, suddenly lost in memories. "But how did you know it wasn't me? This me, I mean. It's not like the uniform's changed, and I haven't got any grey in my lovely hair in the past year," he commented sarcastically, looking down at his black t-shirt and fatigues.**

**She giggled and blushed as she looked down. Composing herself, she looked back up into his eyes and gave him a beautiful smile. "You mean other than the fact that you were dirty, bloodied and looked like you'd just been through the ringer?" she joked. He smirked and her smile widened. "He wasn't wearing this," she finished.**

**It was only then that he realized that she had grasped his left hand, and was running her fingers along the band on his ring finger. He didn't need to look down to know what she was talking about, but instead gave her a knowing smile as his memory kicked in again.**

**"What?" she asked, curious about the sparkle that was now in his eyes. He lowered the hand that had been on her elbow to take her left hand, and brought her closer to him.**

**"Now I remember where I got the inspiration for this," he answered as he ran his thumb over the diamond. Her smile was luminous as she leaned up and kissed him. "Did you tell him how far ahead they'd gone?"**

**"No," she replied. "I knew you'd find out eventually," she told him. He leaned over and kissed her sweetly. "Now come on," she said, turning to move towards the ADD. "I have some paperwork to fill out for Lester about this before we can go home." He laughed lightly as he and Connor followed her back down the stairs.**


	11. When the Dust Settles

A/N: We're down to the wire! Only one more chapter after this to wrap things up! :)

The anomaly had re-opened no more than fifty feet back from where Jess and Emily had just been.

Jess stood, almost immovable, as her mind tried to understand what she was seeing. She heard Abby call Connor's name in confusion, but couldn't tell if he had said anything in response. Emily's hand was suddenly vice-gripping her arm, as hope sprung anew in her chest. The wind continued to fly around the pair, whipping their hair into their eyes. Emily stumbled back a few steps, but Jess held firm, staring into the bright light in front of her.

And instant later, it was gone, leaving behind a giant cloud of dust in its wake.

Jess' heart was pounding against her ribs, so hard that she was sure Emily could feel it standing behind her. Her eyes were fixed on the dust that was trying to settle back over the crumbled building as she took a few cautious steps forward. Not believing the thought that just came into her head, but hoping that it was true, she sent a quick prayer heavenward as her eyes focused on what was in front of her.

Emily now stood about fifteen feet behind her, completely mimicking everything Jess was doing, right down to the prayer. Behind them, Connor and Abby cautiously moved forward.

They could all see shadows through the dust. As it settled, they could see them become pillars and fallen rock and twisted metal. But somewhere in the mess, a shadow moved. It was only a slight change in position, but it was enough for them all to notice it. They stood stock still as the shadow moved again, becoming just a little bit bigger than it just had been.

Emily's breath caught in her throat. 'It can't be…' she thought, trying to not get her hopes up as the shadow continued to grow through the diminishing dust.

Jess was frozen solid in fear. If the shadow was what she thought it could be, she was afraid of what her reaction would be. If it wasn't, she was even more scared because she knew what her reaction would be…

The shadow moved again, and they all heard a noise coming from it – a groan. Everybody stopped moving at the sound, stopped thinking, stopped breathing. And then the dust cleared…

…to show them Becker half-carrying Matt across the debris.

Emily let out a strangled shout, and broke into a run towards them. Abby and Connor started to cry, and hugged each other so that they wouldn't faint from the shock.

And Jess just stayed exactly where she was.

Emily scrambled over the structural remains, reaching them quicker than expected. She grabbed onto Matt's free arm, and helped Becker lower him into a seated position on a large chunk of concrete. Sobbing, she hugged him tighter than she probably should have as she whispered things that only he could hear. He lazily brought the arm previously held by Becker around her back, and held her loosely as she cried. Becker stayed close to them for a minute, making sure that Emily had enough of a grip on Matt to keep him from falling and hitting his head.

Then he looked up.

His face was pale and drawn, and there was a streak of blood running down the side of his cheek. His shirt was ripped at various points, there were gashes on his arms and he was covered in dirt and grime. His entire body ached with the strain of what he had just been through, but he forgot about it all at the shocked look on Jess' face. Slowly, carefully, he worked his way over the rest of the rubble.

Jess wanted to move; her mind was screaming at her to do just that. But her body wasn't cooperating. She was so scared that this was a horrible trick of her mind, and that if she moved even a fraction of an inch, he'd vanish from her sight again. Everything happening around her – Emily still crying as she hugged Matt, Connor and Abby's voices behind her, the hot sun beating down on her head – was gone, and it was just him and her.

Becker made it to solid ground thirty feet from her, and started to run. When she still didn't move, he began to worry that she wasn't real. But he ran anyway. She was there, right in front of him again, looking exactly as he had left her at the ARC before heading back to New Dawn with the rest of them.

He was running towards her now, but she still couldn't force herself to move. There were tears in her eyes, wanting to fly loose down her face, but she held them in. Her insides were shaking furiously, but outwardly she was a statue. He was moving faster, coming closer, his eyes focused solely on her…

Suddenly, he was there and he was pulling her into his arms as he kissed her. His hands each found their way to her lower back and neck, and he tilted her face so that he could kiss her properly.

And Jess' body finally moved. Her arms threw themselves around his neck, her fingers grabbing at his shoulders and fisting the hair at the nape of his neck. She felt his arms lift her off of the ground, and held him tightly as she responded to the kiss with everything she had. She pressed her body into his, relishing in the feeling of him actually being here with her, and felt the wetness from the tears that finally hit her cheeks.

Becker lowered her feet back to the ground as he traced the edges of her lips with his tongue. She gasped at the sensation, and he immediately began exploring the inside of her mouth. She moaned into him as he brought his hands up to cup her face and tangle in her hair. He thought he'd never be able to do this, and was determined to do it right now that he could.

They stayed that way, kissing hard and passionately, for a good five minutes. Normally, Abby and Connor would have started razzing them about getting a room, but they were both far too relieved to even comment. They just stood back from the pair, holding each other close, Abby's head tucked under Connor's chin. Matt and Emily were too busy to notice the very public display of affection from Jess and Becker, because they were still whispering to each other, in disbelief that they were here, together.

Jess and Becker eventually began to slow their kiss, the need and intensity finally being sated. The kiss turned languid and loving as both of them fully came to realize that this was actually happening. When they finally pulled apart, they stayed with their arms tight around each other, eyes opening to take in the sight in front of them. She had red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, along with a pair of deliciously swollen lips.

And so did he.

Her eyes widened a bit at the unexpected display of emotion, and she reached up to wipe a tear from his face with her thumb. He leaned into her hand, and then twisted so he could kiss her palm. He then grasped the hand in his own, and held it to his heart. His eyes glanced downwards to see his dogtags still hanging round her neck. He smiled with pride at the sight, and left her hand balanced on his chest as he reached out to stroke the chain. "Told you I'd be back for those."

Jess stared at him in wonder, finally finding her voice.

"How?"

Becker gave her that gorgeous half-smile she adored, and she shivered and the low tone his voice took. "It was you," he replied. "A different you," he clarified when she furrowed her brow a bit. "We ended up in a time period where we never came back through the anomaly. You were so…different." She could hear the sadness in his voice, and knew that there was something he was holding back, but she didn't push. Becker closed his eyes as he leaned his forehead against hers and took hold of the hand on his chest again. He didn't want to tell her yet how they'd parted in that other time, because it had been too painful for him to watch. "You and Connor had modified the man-made anomaly device so that it would send you to a specific point in time." Her eyes widened as she realized what this meant. "We ended up off by a bit, but managed to get back on the second try."

Her eyes closed in relief and when she opened them, he was gazing at her as he never had before. There had been traces of that look in the past, but it had always been guarded. She stood up a bit on her tiptoes to meet his lips in a short, loving kiss, and then nestled her head against his heartbeat. His hand came up to stroke her hair as he held her tightly. Neither of them ever wanted to let go.

"Wait," Jess whispered, pulling back enough so that she could see his face again. "I need to say something, and I need to say it now." He looked at her curiously, patiently, as she gathered the little courage she needed for this. In that moment, it was easier than she ever imagined it would be. She stared him dead in the eye and said one simple statement, not even blinking as she did. "I love you."

The smile that lit his face was electric as he swooped in to capture her mouth in another warm kiss. Jess tightened her hold on him as he leaned her backwards a bit, bending over her as he moved his lips over hers. In between kisses though, he stopped for long enough to reply in a way she never thought he would.

"I love you too."

She let out a great sigh as he kissed her once more before moving to kiss her cheek, neck and ear as he pulled her into a tight hug again. Jess could feel his heart beating just as fast as her own, and it exhilarated her. She just let him hold her close, lifting her body from the ground once more as he did.

When he set her down again, she glanced over his shoulder to see Emily carefully helping Matt navigate the wreckage. Jess moved to help them, with Becker following suit. Once they got Matt onto safe ground, Jess reached around Emily to grab his hand. He let go of the brunette to pull his favourite redhead into a warm hug, as Emily did the same with Becker.

"I'm so sorry, Jess," he whispered into her hair. "I didn't know he was in there with me."

"It's ok," Jess replied, feeling the tears work their way into her eyes again. "It's not your fault." She pulled back, and placed both hands on his cheeks. "The important part is that you're back now. That's all that matters." He shot her a grateful smile, and they kissed each other on the cheek as they hugged once more.

Jess pulled away a few seconds later, only to be replaced by Abby as Connor wrapped Becker in a tight hug. For once, neither of them felt awkward – they'd been through far too much to care at this stage. When they released each other and Abby hugged Becker, he lifted her tiny frame off the ground as she giggled, Connor giving Matt a handshake and long one-armed hug as they did. Emily and Jess reached out and squeezed each other's hand before being pulled back to their boys' sides. Together, the six of them turned back to what was left of New Dawn.

"What now?" Matt asked weakly.

Connor genuinely smiled, for the first time since they'd arrived back at the site with the man-made anomaly. "We get you back to the ARC to get checked out, mate."

"Both of you," Jess added, one hand absently tracing the rips on Becker's shirt.

"Then comes the clean-up," Abby said, grudgingly.

"Clean-up?" Becker asked them.

"Convergence isn't going to clean itself up, is it?" Emily asked, jokingly.

Matt and Becker exchanged a look. "How long has it been since we left?" Matt inquired nervously.

Connor checked his watch. Despite the face being smashed, it still worked. "Maybe two hours?"

The team leader and the head of security paled as they shared a look again. "How long was it for you?" Abby asked.

"Almost 2 weeks," Becker replied quietly as he squeezed Jess' hand.

"And that was only in the one time," Matt added.

Everyone stayed silent for a moment, taking in the new information. Then, Jess let out a groan as she leaned on Becker's shoulder.

"We're going to be filling out paperwork and reports on this for weeks…" she informed them. After a minute of silence as that sank in, Abby started to giggle, causing Matt to chuckle painfully, and eventually everyone joined in.

"Lester isn't going to be happy about this," Becker said as he pulled Jess closer and kissed the side of her head.

"Know what I'm not happy about?" Connor asked.

"What's that?" Emily queried.

"Trying to fit all six of us into Jess' car since Becker's truck didn't make it back."

They all turned to look at Jess' Mini, parked near the entrance, before letting out a quick groan and a laugh as they walked towards it.


	12. Looking Ahead

A/N: Huzzah! Made it to the end! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this. Out of all the stories I've written, this is my favourite, and I'm so pleased you all seemed to enjoy it. I've got a busy weekend ahead, but hopefully next week I can start editing the next one in my collection (which is COMPLETELY different from this one, and not meant to be taken seriously at all). :) Happy Friday, everyone!

Dawn was just starting to creep in the window when Jess woke from her sleep. She stretched her arms above her head as her fuzzy brain tried to make sense of where she was. She glanced around the room, and rose into a sitting position when she realized she was alone. Jess absentmindedly reached for the tags around her neck as she reviewed the events of the previous day.

Abby had been the only one in a fit state to drive back from New Dawn, so Connor sat shotgun. It would have been a better fit in the backseat if Becker or Matt had traded with either (or both) of them, but neither man wanted to be apart from the woman he loved. So they, along with Jess and Emily, crammed themselves into the back of Jess' Mini. Strangely though, no one complained…

Once they returned to the ARC, they immediately went to the medical bay in search of Lester, who had tried to discharge himself just before they'd returned. Once she was seated on Becker's lap in the back of her Mini, Jess had called the ARC to make sure that the staff there knew that Lester was in the Medical Bay. One of the field medics, who heard the call come in, raced to find his boss nearly unconscious from the blood loss. He'd manage to operate, unassisted, to repair the small tear that the Future Predator had left on his internal organs. Now that he was awake, Lester making it known that he wasn't pleased that he hadn't had everyone at his beck and call during the operation, but the doctor had been brilliant nonetheless. Unfortunately, when said doctor had tried to strap Lester to his hospital bed once finished, Lester had very loudly informed him that he could find another job if he did. He had then grabbed for a cane and started to climb out of his hospital bed when Becker and Jess found him and forced him into a wheelchair.

After the team gave him a very brief synopsis of what had happened, they had turned to start helping with the clean-up but he'd stopped them. As they'd all suspected for some time, Lester had a big soft spot for them. He gave them a stern overview of the paperwork they'd have to fill out (which they were all well aware of), but then shocked them when he told them to get out of his sight for the next two days once they had visited with the medics. No one had asked twice, and the six of them had hi-tailed it out of the room before he could change his mind. Matt ended up having a few cracked ribs, and a fractured elbow, but nothing else overly major. Becker's many cuts were cleaned, but the large bruises he'd obtained on his travels caused the doctor to order him to take it easy for the next week so they could fully heal. Because of the future predators incident, Jess had been graced with a sprained wrist, and had needed stitches on a cut on her shoulder, but Abby, Emily and Connor were in perfect health.

After everything they'd been through, none of them were ready to be alone just yet. After a bit of deliberation, they found themselves driving over to Becker's house. The rest of them only had flats, and with his spare rooms, they could be together and apart at the same time. They'd gone straight there, resulting in all of them showering there and most of them wearing spare clothes of Becker's, simply so they weren't still in their grimy ARC clothes. Emily was the only one of them who was still in her own clothes, having kept a packed bag in the boot of Matt's car, although Abby had managed to find a spare pair of jeans in her own locker. The group ended up ordering in Chinese and watching movies for the afternoon, saying very little and just enjoying being together again.

It had only been when Matt had fallen asleep on Emily's shoulder that the sleeping arrangements were silently decided. Since Matt wasn't moving too quickly on his own when he was awake, Becker helped Emily guide him into one of the spare rooms, before giving her hand a squeeze and bidding them goodnight. When he turned back to the living room, he saw Connor and Abby holding hands as they went out the other way to their room. He gave them a smile, and then focused his attention back onto the small figure dressed in his t-shirt and boxers, still curled up on his couch.

Jess had barely moved or said anything since arriving back at the ARC. To say that he was a little worried about her would be an understatement, for he'd never known Jess to stay this quiet for this long. Becker slowly moved back to where she lay, and gathered her into his arms as he sat back down. Gently settling her in his lap, he stroked her hair as she leaned her head into the crook of his neck. He wanted to know what was troubling her, but didn't want to force her. So for a long while, they just sat there in silence, the DVD menu music being the only sound heard.

"Please don't ever scare me like that again." Her words were so soft that he almost missed them. He reached for her chin and tilted her face up to look into her eyes. The sadness they'd held earlier in the day was still there, and he wished for nothing more than to take away that pain.

After a moment of gazing into the hypnotic blue depths of her eyes, he finally spoke. "I told you I'd come back." It wasn't said with any kind of malice or attitude; just, straightforward and honest. "I will ALWAYS come back for you."

She nodded, and quietly reached for the tags he'd hung around her neck. When she started to remove them to give them back, he brought his free hand up and stilled her movements. "I want you to keep them," he told her. "So that way, you know that I'll always come back."

Those simple words were exactly what Jess needed to hear. Barring the beetle incident, and those really had been extenuating circumstances, she'd never really been the damsel-in-distress type (in fact, she detested women like that), but the thought of losing him after everything that had happened had just been too much for her. Jess leaned forward to meet his mouth in a loving kiss that was quickly deepened. Within seconds, she was lying on her back on the couch with him hovering over her as he delved into her warm mouth with his tongue. She moaned softly as he pressed close to her, bringing her hands to stroke the skin of his lower back under his t-shirt.

After a few minutes of their passionate embrace, they slowly pulled apart. He carefully laid down on the cushions so that she was sandwiched between his body and the back of the couch. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and just let him hold her, hearing his steady heartbeat thumping under her ear. A little while later, he shifted a bit, and gently helped her to her feet, silently guiding her in the direction of his room. He'd climbed into the large bed, and when she laid next to him, he pulled her as close as he could. With his arms holding her firm, she rested her head on his chest, finding his heartbeat once more. A wave of peace settled over the pair of them, and they were both asleep shortly thereafter.

Now, as she looked around the empty room, she noticed that the sliding door leading to the balcony was slightly ajar. She moved fairly stealthily to the door, and slipped outside.

Becker was leaning forward on the balcony, hands planted firmly on the railing in front of him as he looked out over the city in front of him. This had been the view that had sold the house for him. He loved it out there, especially when it was first thing in the morning and still quiet. Jess stood in the doorway, watching his bare back as his eyes travelled the landscape in front of him.

"Looking for something?" she asked softly. He turned to her and smiled, holding out his hand. She walked the short distance over to him, taking the offered hand and allowing him to draw her close so she stood in front of him with his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Just enjoying a view I haven't seen in a while," he admitted. To be honest, he really hadn't been sure he would ever see it again, but there's no way he'd tell her that.

"And is it just as nice as you remember?"

He pulled up a bit and gazed at her profile. "It's actually a lot prettier than I remembered." She laughed sweetly and blushed at his words as he kissed her cheek.

"So what happens now?" she asked him after a moment of silence.

He stared out at the city again. "We take it one day at a time. Things definitely aren't the same anymore. It'll take a while to get used to that, and to work through it."

"Does that go for us as well?" she asked, turning a bit so she could see his face.

Becker looked down at her before kissing her forehead. "I don't know about you, but I can see myself getting used to 'us' fairly quickly."

Jess smiled. "Me too."

"Good," he admitted. "Because I have great plans for us, Miss Parker."

"Oh really?" she said, a curious grin spreading across her face. "Care to share?"

A loud crash from inside and an exasperated voice caused them both to jump, interrupting their moment. Their eyes met again, and they both laughed quietly.

"Well first, I think we should get in there and save Connor from himself," Becker confessed. "Or maybe just save my house from Connor."

Jess giggled. "And then?"

"Well, we have the rest of our lives to figure that out, don't we?" he asked, earning a brilliant smile from her. She turned and stood on her tiptoes to find his lips with her own. The kiss was full of promise, and as they both lost themselves in each other for a few moments, the idea of a future together found its way happily into both their minds.

Later that morning, Becker went for his routine run through the neighbourhood, still not quite believing that he could actually do it again. As he ran through the slowly busying streets, a storefront caught his eye. He slowed his momentum, and gazed thoughtfully into the window at the familiar piece. Becker smiled to himself, and despite his desire to finish his run, he entered the store, to inquire about the ring in the window…


End file.
